MINUTESALABAMA DIABETESNETWORK (ADN) MEETING

January 19, 2011

The Alabama Diabetes Network meeting was held at the Montgomery Health Department located inMontgomery, Alabama. The following individuals were in attendance:

NETWORK EX-OFFICIO MEMBERSMEMBERS (State Health Department Staff)

Mike Bice Diane BeesonEthelyn Brown Debra GriffinMichael Henderson Jessica HardyAlethea Hill Bob HindsMary Hooks Dr. Jim McVayMattie Madis LaMont PackKaye Melnick Sondra ReeseBen MoreiraIsrael MooreDr. Dennis Pillion GUEST SPEAKERMark Register Debra EppsRae Ellyn SarverJon Tanja

CAll TO ORDER/INTRODUCTIONS

The meeting was called to order by Dennis Pillion, Ph.D., Chair. A motion to forego the September is,2010, minutes was seconded and passed.

UPDATES/BUSINESS SESSION

Jim McVay, Dr.P.A., Director, Bureau of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease, greeted the networkand gave an update on the diabetes burden. Dr. McVay indicated that diabetes is increasing. What isthe knowledge level of healthcare providers and consumers about diabetes? Also, Dr. McVay asked,"How can we do it better?" After speaking, Dr. McVay praised Dr. Dennis Pillion for going above andbeyond the call of duty on a daily basis and presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Theaward in part stated his exemplary service to the Alabama Diabetes Advisory Council and directleadership as chairperson of the Alabama Diabetes Network. Dr. Pillion was instrumental in thedevelopment of numerous very effective diabetes related public service announcements. In addition, hewas a major contributor to the creation of a CBSTV 8 diabetes special in Montgomery, AL, plus an ABCTV 33/40 diabetes special in Birmingham, AL, as well as the development of the Alabama Gas PumpTopper Billboard program. All of this additional work has been done while conducting diabetes research

as a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 2004 to 2011. The singularaccomplishments and distinctive leadership provided by Dr. Pillion has significantly advanced diabetesprevention and education in our state. Well done! Dr. McVay then advised the ADN membership thatwe will be inducting new officials today, as Dr. Pillion is moving on to better things.

Bob Hinds, Director, Chronic Disease, thanked Dr. Pillion for his service to ADN. Mr. Hinds gave anupdate on the Chro-nic Disease programs. He stated that the Cardiovascular Program Advisory Councilmeets in the same room as the ADN. Mr. Hinds reminded the attendees that February 4, 2011, is Go Redfor Women Day. Also, he advised that a lot of activity is in line with the system of care for stroke.Telemedicine for stroke treatment has made very little progress. The problems are economic and on thelegal side of things. He advised that in the Epidemiology Branch, Sondra Reese has added an additionalstaff person. In addition, Healthy Communities Branch, including Asthma, is collecting data which will bevery useful for the state. Further, Tobacco Prevention/Cessation is a growth industry and is now aseparate Division due to new grants from the Food and Drug Administration. The inspection of retailtobacco sales with a minor child who attempts to purchase tobacco products will reveal whether or notAlabama tobacco retail establishments are following the law. We hope to begin these inspections in thespring of 2011. Mr. Hinds also advised about a two year project concerning the Cessation Programbenefits. There has been great progress with the cessation line. Also, the Youth Tobacco Program hasgained more importance as the retail tobacco sales inspections indicate.

LaMont Pack, Director, Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, gave an update on the DiabetesBranch's activities. Mr. Pack informed the membership about the Gas Pump Topper program. Theprogram included placing ads on filling stations gas pump tops of over 70 gas stations like Shell, Amoco,etc., including Murphy fillings stations at Wal-Mart, throughout the state. Besides a message ondiabetes prevention and control, it directed viewers to the National Diabetes Educator Program's(NDEP) 1-800 number, where additional diabetes information was available. The theme, ReachingPeople Where They Are ..for Good Health, is to reach and educate Alabamians from all socioeconomicstatus and encourage them to call the 1-800 number for more information on diabetes prevention andcontrol. The campaign ran from September through November 2010, with only Murphy stationsparticipating in October and November due to budget constraints. There were 100 calls to NDEP asreported by the National Institute for Health (NIH) for September 2010 and 697 pieces of diabetesliterature ordered from NDEP.

Also, in collaboration with the Tobacco Program, Demetra Peoples and the diabetes staff met with theAlabama Truckers Association (ATA) in Montgomery to discuss diabetes and tobacco cessation and tohave them consider a worksite wellness program. The ATA members were owners, CEOs, financial, andsafety staff for trucking companies. They advised that if a truck driver in Alabama is started on insulinfor diabetes, his employment as a truck driver will be terminated. A Red Bay, Alabama trucking companyshowed interest. In addition, diabetes staff collaborated with Melanie Rightmyer of the CardiovascularProgram and Mayor Omar Neal of Tuskegee, AL, to plan a possible worksite wellness program for cityemployees.

Then Mr. Pack advised the membership of our unique position to educate Alabamians in ourcommunities concerning diabetes prevention and control. He introduced a data collection form foractivities called Flow and Trend Analysis. It has two categories Media and Events and Education andEvents. The electronic form automatically calculated the totals monthly and quarterly. This form gives aneasy to read, quick, bird's eye view of activities completed by the ADN Team and will help the Alabama

Diabetes Prevention and Control Program provide information to the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention for reporting purposes.

Diane Beeson, Director, Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, reported that the u.s. SurgeonGeneral's report revealed smoking prevalence is decreasing nationwide. Approximately 80% are notsmokers. Ms. Beeson presented a petition for the membership to consider signing for smoke-freeworkplaces to include restaurants. Also, she indicated ways to support this effort besides signing thepetition, which are to write a letter to the Governor, write letters to legislators, call the Governor'soffice, and share stories of survival, for a Smoke-Free Alabama. Ms. Beeson distributed the petition toAdopt a Comprehensive Statewide Smoke-Free Alabama Law and 15 members signed on. Then Dr.Pillion completed the Endorsement on the efforts to enact a 100% comprehensive statewide law toprotect families and workers from secondhand smoke on behalf of the ADN. In addition, Ms. Beesonreminded the membership about the 1-800-Quit-Now smoking cessation program. They have certifiedcessation counselors and four weeks is the magical number to remember for four free weeks of nicotinereplacement therapy and free counseling. Further, Ms. Beeson related that cruise ships have nosmoking and Amtrak has a no smoking policy.

Deborah D. Epps, Pharm D., Regional Medical Liaison, Diabetes Field Medical Team, Sanofi Aventis,U.S. Medical AI/airs, presented on Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes, Perspective from the ADA ConsensusStatement on Medical Management of Hyperglycemia and Standards of Care. She began with theepidemiology and natural history of type 2 diabetes mellitus with an overview of the diabetes epidemicin the United States. Then Ms. Epps provided information on diabetes diagnosis criteria, categories forincreased risk, and treatment recommendations for individuals with diabetes. Also, the United KingdomProspective Diabetes Study results were provided with goals for intensive diabetes management, anddifferent therapies were discussed before the presentation was concluded.

Elections for Chair and vtce-chatr of the Alabama Diabetes Network was convened by Dr. Pillion. Onbehalf of the Nominating Committee, the following individuals were recommended for leadership rolesof the Coalition for Alabama Diabetes Network:

ChairpersonDr. Evelyn Crayton, Assistant Director, Family Consumer Sciences, Cooperative ExtensionSystems, Auburn University, AL

Vice-ChairpersonDr. Mark Swanson, Professor, School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL

A motion to accept the nominees as chairperson and vice-chairperson was seconded and passed. Bothmembers were not available at this meeting. The new Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson will take officeon May 18, 2011.

Network Feedback was given by Evelyn Brown, Gadsden Regional Medical Center. Ms. Brown statedthat we need to try to assist with helping them (truck drivers) to be able to keep their drivers license."You can fly an airplane if you take insulin," she said. We need to look at the law. Ms. Brown asks, "Is it afederal law?" Mr. Pack mentioned that the Alabama Diabetes Resource Directory is in draft form for themembership review. The membership reviewed the document and minimal changes were made on thespot to telephone numbers, addresses, and one resource had recently closed. Dr. Pillion asked themembership for other topics they would like to have covered. Eye care, foot care, and bariatric surgery

Diabetes Education Program, Eagle Books series (large and small), and other diabetes literature ondisplay.

Acknowledgement/Adjourn was conducted by Dr. Pillion, when no further comments were given.

Respectfully submitted:

Debra Griffin, Nurse Educator/CoordinatorDiabetes Prevention and Control Branch

LaMont PackDirector, Diabetes Prevention and Control Branch